Unveiling the Amazon

  Brazil

• Northern Brazil: 
Santarem

Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Dates: Summer 2010 (Exact dates TBD)

Description: Unveiling the Amazon gives visitors a chance to venture into the pristine, remote areas of the Amazon where our program is based, in order to more directly support their efforts to create sustainable economic opportunities. Visitors will also be able to indulge in hikes through the lush forests, enjoy some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and get to know the communities and their inhabitants. If you love traveling off the beaten bath, immersing yourself in other cultures, and would like the reward of giving more while on vacation, this is the perfect trip for you!

This unique trip provides visitors an opportunity to visit the lovely caboclo riverside communities of Maguary and Jamaraquá, in the Brazilian Amazon. Here you will interact in a deep and meaningful way with its people, and directly support their efforts to create sustainable economic opportunities as they learn to become more self-reliant and end the cycle of poverty. This trip will benefit the communities you visit and also be a personal, life-changing experience.

You will also witness the coboclo peoples everyday life firsthand. The pace of life in these tiny communities is still much the way it was 100 years ago, defined by harmony with nature and their surroundings. This trip provides the opportunity for you to interact and share with residents and their families informally, while making a lasting contribution to their community by supporting their initiatives, as well as by mutually sharing perceptions, thoughts and experiences. You will return home with a view of another way of life and inspiring insights and memories that will last a lifetime.

This trip also offers plenty of time for recreation and relaxation. The region boasts a wealth of activities, which are included in the tour, such as:

* Visiting pristine beaches
* Hikes through the rain forest
* Animal viewing
* Visits to the Couro Ecologico factory
* Kayaking and canoeing
* Hanging out with locals
* Playing and listing to the guitar and learning local songs
* Dance lessons
* Soccer matches
* Participate in Town meetings with an interpreter
* Fishing for your own dinner
* Sleeping on hammocks on river
* Authentic piracaia (party on the beach)
* Overnight trips to nearby communities
* and much more...

Highlights: Trip Itinerary:

* Day 1
Arrive in Santarem, a city with a mild climate and pleasant breezes, located at the confluence of the Rio Amazonas and the Rio Tapajos. We will meet you at the airport and if you are one of the first to arrive, you will be taken to a hotel so that you can shower, relax, and walk around town. Once everyone else arrives, the group will travel by bus to Jamaraquá you'll have dinner and meet the other members of the group.

* Day 2 - 7
The majority of the trip will be in and around the small community of Jamaraquá, located in the Brazilian national forest FLONA Tapajós. We have a wide variety of activities available for you to chose from each day, including:

    * Visit pristine beaches and lagoons
    * Explore the rain forest
    * View exotic animal in their natural habitat
    * Visit the Couro Ecologico factory
    * Kayak and canoe nearby creeks
    * Hang out with locals
    * Play and listen to the guitar and learn local songs
    * Learn popular Brazilian and local traditional dances
    * Play soccer
    * Participate in Town meetings with an interpreter
    * Help out local residents with some of their daily chores and projects
    * Fish for your own dinner
    * Visit nearby communities
    * and much more...

* Day 8
After breakfast we'll leave for Alter do Chão in a typical river boat. About 3 hours away, Alter do Chão is located on the freshwater Rio Tapajós and known as one of the most beautiful river beaches in Brazil. Along the way you will pass by several beautiful river beaches, and you'll be able to stop and enjoy one of them. After eating lunch at Alter do Chão, where you can explore the beach town and find plenty of souvenirs or just unwind on the the renowned Ihla do Amor (Island of Love) beach, you'll leave for the Jari channel, famous for its exuberant fauna (consisting of alligators, birds, monkeys, iguanas and sloths), and stay until sunset to observe the parrots retiring for the evening. After sunset you'll have a piracaia (party on the beach) and either sleep on the beach or on the boat (your choice).

* Day 9
After breakfast on the boat the next morning, you will have the morning to rest and enjoy the beach. If you have a flight early in the day or side-trips to embark upon, you can catch a ride to the airport or wherever else you need to go. For the rest of the group, you'll return after lunch to Santarém for sightseeing, shopping, and preparation for your departure.

Cost in US$: USD 895

Not included in the trip price:

    * Airfare to Santarem
    * Optional lodging in Santarem
    * Optional transportation to and from the city of Santarem
    * Extra beverages (a reasonable amount plus clean water will be provided)
    * Tips and gratuity
    * Premium leisure activities, such as chartering a boat for individual use, etc.
    * Souvenirs
    * Optional side trips
    * Visas
    * Travel Insurance

Experience Required: no

Age Range: all ages welcome

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Brazil Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Other

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Job and Internship Network

Community Empowerment Network's Mission Statement: empowers rural communities and individuals in developing countries to harness information and information technology to become more self-reliant and break out of poverty.

Year Founded: 2004